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Original poster

Boss told me off for exclaiming Jesus Christ

614 replies

GloMum · 08/02/2025 14:55

The other day my boss told me off for exclaiming Jesus Christ when I was surprised during a work meeting. Boss told me it’s rude towards people from different religions and asked me if I’d done my DEI training. I have, and I enjoy friendships with colleagues from varied backgrounds. I feel really stressed now in case I slip again, and embarrassed I should be told off.

YABU - This is an inappropriate exclamation at work
YANBU - It’s just an exclamation and you shouldn’t be told off for that.

OP posts:
CulturalNomad · 09/02/2025 22:23

I have a mouth like a sailor and an extensive range of swear words (in multiple languages) in my vocabulary.
What I also have is the ability to know my audience: I don't use the same language in a work meeting that I would happily employ in a dinner meeting with friends of 20+ years.
Keep your language neutral and professional at all times. It's easier that way

100% agree. Unless you want to be viewed as rather thick at work then keep your language neutral and professionally appropriate. Common sense.

hihelenhi · 09/02/2025 22:12

HipMax · 08/02/2025 22:02

Actually, being a professional adult is about knowing people are going to say things you don't like and just...not doing anything. You're offended by an extremely common phrase? Ok, it's your right to be offended. But be a professional adult and be offended in your own head, on your own time. You can have whatever thoughts you want and just....not voice them.

It's not even very hard.

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Except I'm not offended personally. I do understand that others may be in a professional environment.

Mollymalone123 · 09/02/2025 21:57

It was never deemed as appropriate to say this -it’s not people being ridiculous-we ( I’m in my late 50’s) we’re brought up knowing it was offensive.My husband works on site and hears all sorts but even he would balk at that. I’m not upset at swearing but I don’t like anyone saying that

Zusammengebrochen · 09/02/2025 21:50

Gorgeousfeet · 09/02/2025 21:48

Some of us are religious, whichever faith we have. That’s up to us, not you, to decide whether or not religion is “special”.
Seeing as you aren’t “ eternally offended “ you can shove your thoughts where the sun doesn’t shine.

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It's up to you to follow what religion you choose.
It's most definitely not up to you what expressions I use.

Gorgeousfeet · 09/02/2025 21:48

Zusammengebrochen · 09/02/2025 15:34

Religion isn't special.
I don't set out to deliberately offend but I also don't continually focus on the eternally offended.

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Some of us are religious, whichever faith we have. That’s up to us, not you, to decide whether or not religion is “special”.
Seeing as you aren’t “ eternally offended “ you can shove your thoughts where the sun doesn’t shine.

JudgeJ · 09/02/2025 21:29

DalzielOrNoDalzielAndDontPascoe · 08/02/2025 17:17

Of course, Jesus didn't exists in Old Testament times, so wasn't "the Lord" then, That's be rather backfilled.

Of course, you don't believe any of it at all, which you're perfectly entitled not to do; but the Bible does indeed clearly state that Jesus, as part of the Godhead, existed in Old Testament times - so that isn't quite the gotcha that you may have thought it would be to a Bible-believing Christian.

Love your user name, one of my favourite cop programmes!

HipMax · 09/02/2025 21:28

suburburban · 09/02/2025 20:06

@HipMax

I did have a glance at a couple of Christian websites before I posted.

Genuinely curious where you found this information

In ...you know...history, language and reality.

MeanMrMustardSeed · 09/02/2025 20:16

Needmorelego · 08/02/2025 15:50

It is the same God.
Those who are Jewish, Christian or Muslim are literally worshipping the same God.
It's all down to how they decide to interpret the "rules".

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I'm not sure if anyone else picked up on this - if so, I can’t see it. Just didn’t want it to go unchallenged. The Christian and Muslim God are definitely not the same. They have very different characteristics that are central to them / the faith. Jesus is the Son of God (Christian), who came to earth. Not something the Muslim God would do. There are lots of similar significant differences.

suburburban · 09/02/2025 20:06

@HipMax

I did have a glance at a couple of Christian websites before I posted.

Genuinely curious where you found this information

Thirteenblackcat · 09/02/2025 20:05

Saying oh my goodness is definitely not on a par with saying Jesus Christ,

MeanMrMustardSeed · 09/02/2025 20:04

Jesusisking23 · 08/02/2025 15:05

I’m a Christian and I find it pathetic to be this sensitive. People use it as a phrase when they are shocked or whatever, I do it too.

it would be different if you were screaming I hate allah or something

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I would just say that you are breaking a commandment when you do that though. I’m only saying this as you say you’re a Christian. Jesus upheld the 10 commandments so we really shouldn’t use his name in vain.

HipMax · 09/02/2025 20:03

suburburban · 09/02/2025 19:45

@HipMax

Is website incorrect?

I've never known anyone take offence to these phrases but the JC one is very different

I mean, it is literally completely incorrect if it says oh my gosh doesn't reference God, because it 100% does.

Drfosters · 09/02/2025 19:51

suburburban · 09/02/2025 19:45

@HipMax

Is website incorrect?

I've never known anyone take offence to these phrases but the JC one is very different

so essentially We have an ‘offensive’ words but to get around using them we develop other words to mean the offensive word. If we use those other words it isn’t offensive all because we aren’t using those words… but we mean the same thing.

EG94 · 09/02/2025 19:48

Try fucking hell next time

Caerulea · 09/02/2025 19:47

I think this might be the most surprising thread I've ever come across on here. The poll, the responses, it's just...wow

suburburban · 09/02/2025 19:45

@HipMax

Is website incorrect?

I've never known anyone take offence to these phrases but the JC one is very different

HipMax · 09/02/2025 19:44

suburburban · 09/02/2025 19:42

@HipMax

Really?

Which bit?

But absolutely yes, really. All of it.

suburburban · 09/02/2025 19:42

@HipMax

Really?

HipMax · 09/02/2025 19:42

Rizzla · 09/02/2025 19:30

Yeah, you’re right that it doesn’t affect my personal relationship with God. But you care if something wrong is happening even it’s not being done to you. If Jesus is real and he’s God, then that’s true regardless of whether someone believes it. So it will always be jarring for me to hear his name used in that way by people he has made.

The Christmas one is an interesting question, I wouldn’t say i have a problem with it, of course I think it would be better if everyone knew of and believed in the real meaning of Christmas though! Which is why we do a lot of outreach events at church at that time of year.

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If your faith is so weak and tenous that it's threatened by someone using the name of your figurehead, that's very much a you problem.

Your god did not make us. Your interpretation of Christmas is not the real meaning of Christmas. Your religion hijacked all the old elements of pagan and pre Christian religion and imposed your ideals on it, it never made your notions real, and after a fairly brief season in the majority you are very much again in a tiny minority. You hav no claim. It doesn't matter if you are jarred by our using the name of your personal deity in the vernacular. Your people gave it to us, you can't just cancel it now you're on the wrong side of it.

SquashedSquid · 09/02/2025 19:40

Ilovetowander · 09/02/2025 19:37

@SquashedSquid
Well I doubt whether a school would allow that, assuming they knew

Allow what? Children saying book character names? Of course it's allowed. I've heard my TAs use similar expressions many times, as do colleagues. Thankfully we're all grown adults who are intelligent enough to determine that invisible deities don't exist.

Ilovetowander · 09/02/2025 19:37

@SquashedSquid
Well I doubt whether a school would allow that, assuming they knew

SquashedSquid · 09/02/2025 19:32

Ilovetowander · 09/02/2025 19:27

@SquashedSquid
As a teacher surely the role is to ensure that pupils are respectfull others regardless of what faith the teacher may have.

In my classroom, using the names of made up characters as an expression is not disrespectful. If a parent is bothered by it, they're more than welcome to find an alternative classroom.

Rizzla · 09/02/2025 19:30

Drfosters · 09/02/2025 18:52

But surely it does not affect your personal relationship with your god (and that is all religion should be IMO) so ultimately why does it bother you that someone who doesn’t follow your religion would use it in their vernacular?

do you have problem with non religious people celebrating Christmas?

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Yeah, you’re right that it doesn’t affect my personal relationship with God. But you care if something wrong is happening even it’s not being done to you. If Jesus is real and he’s God, then that’s true regardless of whether someone believes it. So it will always be jarring for me to hear his name used in that way by people he has made.

The Christmas one is an interesting question, I wouldn’t say i have a problem with it, of course I think it would be better if everyone knew of and believed in the real meaning of Christmas though! Which is why we do a lot of outreach events at church at that time of year.

Ilovetowander · 09/02/2025 19:27

@SquashedSquid
As a teacher surely the role is to ensure that pupils are respectfull others regardless of what faith the teacher may have.

LynetteScavo · 09/02/2025 19:24

@HipMax - I'm confused - the poster you quoted said they aren't catholic.

Catholicism is growing faster than the world's population, so it doesn't look like it will be dead soon.